Department: Technical

Employment Type: Contract / Temp

Location: Africa

Reporting To: Summit Programme Lead, Secretariat

Description

Allied Talent Partners (ATP), a Three Cairns Group initiative, is a mission-driven, not-for-profit talent marketplace focused on solving the human capital bottlenecks slowing down sustainable development efforts in emerging economies, with an initial focus on Africa. ATP connects vetted, experienced, context-relevant professionals to high-impact opportunities in energy access and sustainable development – strengthening local capacity and fuelling economic vitality. We specialize in fixed-term, deliverable-driven engagements – from interim leadership and generalist projects to niche technical expertise – handling project scoping, talent vetting and matching, contracting, payroll, and compliance so that our clients can focus on impact.

High-Level Overview

The client seeks a senior technical lead to support the development of a regional strategic minerals and natural resource investment agenda in advance of a major regional integration and investment summit scheduled for 2026.

The assignment will develop a regional strategic minerals and natural resource development investment agenda that positions the sector as a driver of regional value addition, industrial development, and private investment. The agenda will focus on addressing structural constraints related to fragmented regulatory regimes, limited regional value addition, infrastructure gaps, governance challenges, and insufficient investment readiness across mineral value chains.

The Strategic Minerals & Natural Resource Development Technical Working Group Lead will coordinate a group of senior technical experts and play a central role in shaping this agenda. Responsibilities will include framing the regional strategic minerals investment narrative, identifying priority policy and regulatory reforms, curating a pipeline of bankable strategic minerals and resource-based industrial investments, and supporting the design and delivery of high-quality summit sessions and deal-focused engagements.

The role will report to the Summit Programme Lead within the Secretariat and work closely with investment facilitation and other sectoral teams to ensure strategic minerals outcomes from the Summit are concrete, coordinated, and actionable.

Role and Responsibilities

Role: Technical Working Group (TWG) Lead – Strategic Minerals & Natural Resource Development Direct Report: Summit Programme Lead, Secretariat

Candidates Required: 1

Key Deliverables

TWG Leadership and Coordination Establish and lead the Strategic Minerals & Natural Resource Development TWG with representation from across the region and across organisation types, including mining ministries, regulators, geological agencies, private sector operators, investors, and development partners. Identify, invite, and onboard TWG members in coordination with the Secretariat. Plan, schedule, and chair regular (typically weekly) TWG meetings. Hold the pen on shared TWG documents, synthesising and consolidating inputs from participants. Circulate clear summaries, decisions, and next steps after each meeting. Coordinate closely with the Summit Programme Lead to ensure alignment with Summit priorities and timelines. Sector Status Report Oversee the production of a concise Sector Status Report on strategic minerals and natural resource development. Synthesise existing data, diagnostics, and project pipelines with a focus on regional value chains, beneficiation potential, and investment readiness. Highlight regional constraints, opportunities, and priority intervention areas, including governance, infrastructure, and cross-border coordination. Policy and Regulatory Harmonisation Lead the drafting, with TWG input, of a policy and regulatory reform framework required to unlock regional strategic minerals investment. Address priority areas such as licensing and fiscal regimes, regional value addition and beneficiation policies, transparency and governance standards, and cross-border infrastructure and logistics. Ensure recommendations are actionable, regionally coherent, and investor-relevant. Investment Pipeline Development Lead the identification and curation of a ranked pipeline of priority strategic minerals and natural resource development investments (e.g. mining projects, processing and beneficiation facilities, shared infrastructure, and downstream industrial platforms). Apply clear screening and scoring criteria to assess scale, regional relevance, readiness, and impact. Coordinate closely with the Summit Deal Room team to support investor engagement and matchmaking Summit Programme Design and Delivery Lead the design of strategic minerals–focused Summit sessions, including objectives, formats, speakers, and key messages. Ensure sessions and Deal Room engagements are anchored in concrete investment opportunities and policy reform pathways. Support live Summit delivery, including speaker coordination and technical input as required. Post-Summit Reporting and Follow-up Contribute to post-Summit reporting by documenting strategic minerals–related outcomes, including policy priorities agreed, investment opportunities advanced, and key follow-up actions. Support consolidation of TWG outputs into final Summit reports, briefs, or communiqués as required. Provide technical input to post-Summit partner and investor follow-up as required.
Requirements

Experience Required:

Minimum 12+ years of experience in mining policy, mineral economics, extractives governance, or natural resource investment. Proven experience working across multiple African countries at regional level, with strong familiarity with West Africa. Demonstrated experience engaging with governments, regulators, private sector operators, investors, and development partners. Familiarity with extractives investment processes, project preparation, and blended finance. Credibility to operate at senior technical and ministerial levels.

Technical Requirements

Strong analytical and synthesis skills. Ability to translate complex technical and policy issues into clear, actionable outputs. Experience curating and assessing investment pipelines. Strong facilitation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills. Excellent written and verbal communication skills. High levels of organisation, professionalism, and accountability

Other Skills

Strong stakeholder management and facilitation skills, with the ability to engage credibly with senior government, private sector, and development partners. Sound judgement and political sensitivity in complex, multistakeholder and regional environments. Strong end-to-end ownership, with the ability to work independently, manage multiple workstreams, and deliver high-quality outputs under compressed timelines. Clear, concise written and verbal communication skills. High levels of professionalism, discretion, and accountability

Working Arrangement

Location: Flexible / Remote, with on-site presence in Nigeria required during the lead-up to and during the Summit

Travel: Periodic travel within the region, including to Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

Terms Of Agreement

Start Date: Immediately

Contracting Period: Up to April 2026 (aligned with Summit delivery)